Davis Grocery & Mercantile, LLC

Hello,

We are the Davis Family: Ross, Jamie and our three kids Liam, Piper and Helena. We are SO excited to be embarking on this adventure. We have lived in East Hope for over two years and we know this is our forever home. So we are putting down roots and living our dream.

Ross has been a journeyman grocer for over 15 years. When we arrived in Hope and saw the marketplace, it was love at first sight and Ross knew that he belonged there, even though he wasn’t sure how at the time.  Through a twist of fate he met the owner of the marketplace since 2000, Kally Thurman, while working at Monarch School in Heron, Montana. Ross was working as an LSI and Kally was there part time as the art teacher. And as one door closed–literally, Monarch’s doors closed–another opened. Kally was ready to retire and Ross was ready to work on his dream. His wife, Dr. Jamie Davis, was already renting one of the cabins for her acupuncture practice, so it just made sense to take on the whole property.

While the transition is unfolding and the myriad of details are being attended to before opening day, we have been getting a lot of questions. So here is a sneak preview of our vision for the future of the market.

What is currently known as the Marketplace will be transformed into “Davis Grocery & Mercantile.” We added the mercantile to the name to pay tribute to the original Ninneman Mercantile Company that was on the property in 1904. This place is FULL of history, so it is important to us to preserve it. But that being said, we are a grocery store first and foremost.  We will also be offering a bakery/cafe/coffeeshop with baked goods, coffee, soups and sandwiches. Our grocery store will be full service, with fresh produce, flowers, meat, dairy, eggs, and several brand names including organic options, like Natural Directions and Full Circle brands.

We are also really excited about the Hope History Museum aspect to the store. Hope, Idaho has a rich and full history, and this site and the many businesses that have come and gone over the last 116 years is no exception. So we have been collecting artifacts and photographs of the history of Hope and will display them and the story of Hope around the store. In fact, the “theme” of the store is circa 1928, in honor of Ray Lewis that rebuilt the building that year after a fire. We will also have lots of photographs as well  in honor of the Butler family who ran the store from 1934 to 1976.

We see DG&M as a community one-stop. Groceries, coffee, history–a beautiful space to gather and enjoy our community. We see our community coming by for some coffee and chatting on the deck in the summer or sitting around the fire in the winter. We will have Farmer’s markets so our local farmers can sell their produce and artisan wares. We see our customers stopping by after getting the mail at the post office or grabbing a cup of tea after getting an acupuncture treatment next door. Yes we are a grocery store, but we see it as so much more than that.

Ok, so here’s the nuts and bolts based off common questions:

• We will be open YEAR round!
• We are a grocery store that will have produce, dairy, eggs, meat, canned goods, bulk foods and lots of organic options.
• Our prices will be competitive with Sandpoint grocery stores like Yokes, maybe about 20 cents more.
• We envision most of our customers to continue to do their bulk shopping in town once a month or so, but we will pick up the slack with everything else!
• We will have a coffeeshop/cafe that offers coffee, lattes, baked goods, soups and sandwiches.
• The wine tastings that Kally has been offering WILL continue!
• Yes, we will sell wine and beer.
• We will have fresh produce available (from Spokane produce) but will also be offering Farmer’s markets next season for local produce suppliers.
• We are hoping to open September 1, 2018.

So that’s about the gist of it. This is a dream come true for us and we are so excited to share it with our community.

See you soon!!

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